How to fix a misaligned steering wheel at home

Many cars that have been driven for a long time suddenly discover that the steering wheel is off-center. Off-center steering means that even when the driver does not act on it, the steering wheel will still turn slightly to one side and the car will run in a curve instead of a straight line.

1. Causes of steering wheel deviation

If you notice that your steering wheel is off-center, it could be due to one of the following reasons:

Due to collision:When the car collides, it can cause the car's tie rod to be misaligned, thus causing the car's steering wheel to be misaligned as well.

LMisalignment can cause the steering wheel to misalign.

Due to uneven tire balance:A misaligned steering wheel can be caused by wear on one or both tires, causing uneven ride height on both sides of the vehicle.

Usually, the phenomenon of steering wheel deviation is mostly due to tires. This phenomenon often occurs when driving on bad roads too much or often parking with 2 wheels on the sidewalk.

Uneven tire wear (too much wear on one side) can also cause the car to misalign.

Due to steering rack and steering column problems:In case the steering wheel is misaligned due to problems with the ruler or steering column, it is necessary to bring it to a specialized auto repair shop for inspection.

2. Steering wheel misalignment usually comes with steering wheel misalignment?

Normally, many people think that if the steering wheel is off, the car will also drift. However, these two phenomena do not have the same characteristics, although they often go together. In which: - Drifting (also known as drifting) is when the car is running straight on a flat road, even if you let go of the steering wheel, the car still moves to one side.

Swerving is when the car is running straight but the steering wheel automatically deviates to one side, causing the car to also move in that direction, similar to when the car has just collided with another car.

3. Procedure for handling steering wheel deflection

First, you need to know where the worn or uneven tire is. To do this, try rotating the tires and observe the new direction of the vehicle, from which you can deduce the problem tire.

Next, put the car on the lift, put the gear lever in P and pull the handbrake;Chock the wheel, detonate the wheel and lower it to the safety brake.

Observe how the steering direction changes, and from there deduce the traction required on 1 or 2 tires. If steering force needs to be reduced, move 1 or 2 wheels to the rear axle and flip the tire.

During the inspection, if the tire is found to have one-way spikes or different tire sizes, the tire cannot be rotated but must be replaced with a new tire and tested.

4. Procedure for handling the phenomenon of steering wheel deviation

First, steer the car so that the wheels are straight; then turn off the engine, use a screwdriver to insert into the 2 holes under the steering wheel to remove the steering wheel airbag.

Next, unscrew the screw under the airbag and remove the steering wheel; carefully observe and then pull the steering wheel from the shaft (the shaft that attaches the steering wheel is usually cylindrical with many edges to assemble with the steering wheel).

Reinstall the steering wheel, make sure to choose the correct notch to balance the steering wheel. Installing the notch incorrectly will cause the steering wheel to deviate from 3 - 5 degrees. Experience is that if the steering wheel is aligned with the car, the steering wheel is horizontal. Some car models have a steering angle measurement function that can be based on the angle displayed on the screen to 0, then it is installed properly.

Then test drive the bike and see if you are satisfied. If not, you can take it apart and continue adjusting until you are satisfied.